BALANCED CRANKSHAFT:  Describes a crankshaft with extended reinforcements to form counterbalancing or act as a vibration damper.

BIG END: Describes the end of the connecting rod that fits around the crankpin.

BIG-END BEARING: Describes the bearing at the end of the connecting rod that attaches to the crankshaft.

BIG-END BOLT: Describes one of the bolts attaching the big-end cap to the connecting rod.

DEGREE WHEEL: Describes wheel-like disc divided into 360 equal parts attached to the engine crankshaft to set the valves' timing to a higher degree of accuracy.

COUNTERWEIGHT: Describes the weight added to a rotating shaft to balance normal loads on the part and offset vibration. Counterweights are often used on the crankshaft as well as the flywheel and driveshaft.

CRANKCASE BLOCK: Describes the lower part of the engine that surrounds the crankshaft. It contains the crankshaft, piston cylinders, connecting rods and other moving parts of the engine.

CRANKCASE COMPRESSION: Describes the primary compression in a two-stroke engine located below the pistons and enables a fresher charge to be fed into the cylinder. Also called "crankcase pre-compression."

CRANKCASE DILUTION: Describes an excessively rich fuel mixture allowing a certain amount of gasoline to pass down between the pistons and cylinder walls and dilute the engine oil.

CRANKSHAFT EMISSIONS: : Describes a situation where pollutants allowed to escape into the atmosphere from the crankcase.

CRANKSHAFT VENTILATION: : Describes air circulation through the crankcase of a running engine to remove water, blow-by, and other gases to prevent oil dilution and contamination, sludge formation, and pressure build-up.

CRANKING: : Describes the act of engaging the starter by turning the key in the ignition switch causes the engine to turn over. In the old days, a hand crank was used to do this, thus the term "cranking."